Without the Bible?

We sometimes take the Bible for granted. We read Scriptures from the lecturn and pulpit every Sunday. We have copies of the Bible on our shelf at home and can access one quite easily. But what would it be like if we had no Bible at all? Rev Richard Wurmbrand, a Lutheran pastor, who was imprisoned for his faith for 14 years in Communist Romania was deprived of everything and kept in solitary confinement. In his book The Triumphant Church he wrote:

“One of the greatest problems…is knowing how to fill up solitude. We had absolutely no books (in prison). We never heard a noise, and there was absolutely nothing to distract our attention. We looked at the walls; that was all. Now normally a mind under such circumstance becomes mad. Read great books about prison life just to catch the atmosphere of prison as much as a free man can catch it. You will see the maddening influence of being alone for years with nothing to distract the mind. I can tell you from my own experience how I avoided becoming mad, but this again has to be prepared by a life of spiritual exercise beforehand. How much can you be alone without the Bible? How much can you bear to be with yourself without switching on the radio, a record player, etc?” (excerpt taken from Voice of the Martyrs newsletter, March 2013).

The Bible is full of the words of life that Jesus confirmed over and over again, and after he rose from the dead. Fill your mind with it everyday, the time could come when you will not be able to exercise that freedom, for whatever reason.

By the way, after communism ended in Romania and other European nations, Pastor Wurmbrand visited the same prison where he was kept in confinement and it had become a storeroom for Bibles waiting for distribution!